Huayi Brothers Media and Bona Film Group, two of China’s largest film production companies, said Sunday they were each acquiring up to 20% of start-up distribution company China Lion Film Distribution, with the goal of introducing more of its movies to the U.S. market. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

China Lion, a joint venture between Beijing-based President Jiang Yanming and Auckland-based Chief Executive Milt Barlow, currently has a deal with AMC Entertainment to distribute up to 15 Chinese movies annually in North America. The releases are often day-and-date with each film’s Chinese release.

China Lion’s first film under the deal was Huayi Bros’s “Aftershock,” a drama about the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China. The film, which was directed by Feng Xiaogang, grossed over $100 million in China but only $62,962 in the U.S., according to the website boxofficemojo.com. Speakeasy has more.